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I would think that the hole is for traction, and possibly for lanyard use, though I have never seen that stated. The Europeans are very tradition-oriented people, and this is the way most have always been built. It works well, looks traditional- so I suspect that is the reason. Plain levers are slip...

Vini
The plastic used on most Italians is not injection moulded, but cut from sheets, and drilled/routed. It appears to basically be casting epoxy, colored and cast into sheets, surface milled.
Some of the cheaper italians may use injection moulded scales. Your answer may be correct for those.
Bill

Nice try, but the scales are drilled after the moulding.
Basically, pearlex is a clear plastic, mixed with colorings that are not thoroughly mixed-leaving the swirls. Heat has nothing to do with it.
Bill DeShivs

Despite all you kiddie's bowel habits, the knife was made by either A. Beltrame, or F.Beltrame.
Bill DeShivs

Well, not to contradict any of the resident experts here.... but the knife in question, if it has shell pullers on the rear, is a fairly rare knife. It is a button lock, not a lever lock, and was sold by the Zoppis company in the late 1960s-early 1970s. If this description is correct, the knife is r...

I am told that Indiana cutlery produces nothing, and is only a distributor.
Bill DeShivs

Tessa 11" long, open; brass bolsters & lever; steel liners; buffalo horn scales, steel pins. If this description fits the knife, it's Indian. No one knows the story on these, but they have been around since at least the 1960s. In good condition they are worth about $150 US. The crude construction of...

These knives were made in India. They are not English.
Bill DeShivs